Love and the Single Dad FREE Novella

Chapter Two

Cami tried swallowing the rich wine but had a hard time moving it past the tightness in her throat. She should have taken a pass when it was offered, but it gave her something to do with her hands and a place to hide her face now and again.

Which made her the tiniest bit sad. She didn't like hiding from Ben. They'd always been honest with each other, and things had been simple between them. For the longest time she'd thought the attraction that she felt had been one-sided—Ben was quite handsome, and she had a weakness for men in uniform. An even bigger weakness for a man who knew how to best wear a pair of jeans and sit a horse. Their casual run-ins had turned into an invitation to visit his place, an acreage just outside of town. It wasn't large, but it was big enough for a couple of horses that he kept for pleasure riding. They had a lot in common. They were both single, ran in the same professional circles, no kids. Spending time together had made sense. They'd become good friends and she hadn't let her crush get in the way of that.

Lately there'd been something else though, something simmering between them. When she'd gone to leave the last time and he'd looked at her with a fire in his eyes, she'd nearly melted into a puddle at his feet. It was only the fear that it would all go wrong that kept her from taking any initiative, to move those last few inches into what she was sure would be a fantastic kiss. It had been so long since she'd allowed herself to care for someone. To pin any hopes on them.

And she'd been right to hesitate, hadn't she? Now Ben was a dad. He had a baby girl to look after. If there was something between them, she didn't want it to be because he needed someone to step in and be Mommy. Not that she thought he'd consciously do that.

But it would be convenient, wouldn't it? And she'd always wonder just a bit.

If he only knew. She was the last person he would consider suitable as mother material.

"So now you know," he was saying, and she made herself sip the liquid in the glass as if they were talking about the weather and not a life-changing event.

She put the glass on the coffee table. "I guess I do." And yet there were so many other questions buzzing around in her brain that she wouldn't voice. Not tonight. "You should get some sleep while...Susie, is it? While she sleeps."

"I've tried. My mind keeps spinning, trying to remember all I'm supposed to remember. For heaven's sake, Cami, she's barely potty trained. She wears those pull-up diaper things to bed."

"You've got your hands full," she replied, seeing her anticipation of a progression of any sort of relationship between them go out the window. Not that she blamed him. His focus had to be on Susie.

And in case she had any doubts on that score, Ben's voice lowered as he admitted, "I've got a lot on my plate right now."

"Because you need to do right by her." Of course he did. He was a good man, an honorable man. One who did the right thing. It was what drew her to him like a magnet. Unfortunately, it also meant a hole of disappointment opening up inside her. It was his way of letting her know he had no time to pursue things further.

"I'm clueless about what to do, and yet I already love her. How is that possible?"

The backs of Cami's eyes stung at his honest admission, seeing the agonized look on his face as he put his barely touched beer bottle on the table.

"Because she's your daughter," Cami replied, her heart banging around painfully in her chest. "Because that is what good parents do."

And yet she knew it was a lie. It took more than love, didn't it? Love was just a word. It was actions that mattered. And if Ben took a close look at her past actions, he'd be very disappointed in the woman he thought he knew.